The department plans to tie up with e-commerce giants and other online platforms to sell products made by prisoners at Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Jail.BENGALURU: The State's prisons department plans to tie up with e-commerce giants Flipkart, Amazon and other online platforms to sell products made by prisoners at Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Jail. The made-in-prison initiative will be a first in India, although the concept is common in countries like the UK, USA, Netherlands, Germany and Peru, which have even branded such products. Once on track, garments, showpieces, furniture and carpets will be sold under the label Parivartana (transformation).

Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Kamal Pant told ET: "We will approach ecommerce giants to sell our products. We will also set up an exclusive website for our products with the help of the National Informatics Centre."

Prisoners are trained in skilled work during their prison term so that they have an alternative means of livelihood after their release. "We don't want them going back to crime. Also, it is a good use of human resources," Pant pointed out.

Prisoners are paid for the goods they produce. While a skilled worker earns Rs 100 a day, a semi-skilled worker makes Rs 80 and an unskilled worker earns Rs 60.

The prisons department has a proposed doubling of wage, but the government is yet to sanction it.

Currently , about 500 prisoners are involved in the making of commercial goods. The prison already has a garment-making unit and a furniture unit. The brand already has a start in the jamakanas (carpets) made in Parappana Agrahara, which are in high demand.

The major problem, however, has been marketing and selling the products. "We can't send prisoners to sell these goods while there is a shortage of staff to do the job. Online is our best option," Pant maintained.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (Prisons) Suresh K gave the example of a readymade garments store that the prison department started in Gandhinagar in 2013. This has since been closed as there was no one to man it.

At present, the turnover from prison products is Rs 6 crore and could multiply once the goods go online.

After the wage component is deducted, the proceeds go to the government treasury .

Pant hopes that the government will, in future, give the job of stitching uniforms for government employees to prisoners.